1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to signal-seeking receivers and more particularly to receivers which apply power to certain portions thereof intermittently to conserve power.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable and other battery powered signal-seeking radio receivers which tune sequentially to a plurality of signals and which have indicator lights corresponding to each of the channels are known in the art. These receivers suffer from high current drain because of their large power requirements and therefore, require rather frequent replacement or recharging of the batteries on which they operate. Their basic circuit design is patterned after circuits such as are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,318 to Hoffman and Schonegg and U.S. Pat. No. 3,714,585 to Richard C. Koch.
Other receivers are known for operation on a single frequency or for operation on a manually selected one of a plurality of frequencies and which use the technique of only intermittently applying power to certain portions of the receiver in order to conserve power. These circuits work admirably for providing a single frequency monitor with a low current drain. However, these receivers do not provide electrically operated visual indicators to let the operator know readily the channel to which the receiver is tuned, nor do they provide automatic monitoring of two or more channels.